“Consumers are realizing that the one-time deal isn't as good a deal and they're prone to spread out the sales and spread out their purchases,” said Tom Root, associate professor of finance at Drake University.

Depending on how Cyber Monday goes, it might give consumers a peek into how well the economy is doing this holiday season.

“When you think about Cyber Monday and Black Friday for that matter, both are an indication of how strong the sales are going to be for the holiday season,” Root said. “It's definitely a good signal of consumer strength and consumer confidence in terms of their total spending.”

Experts said to make sure all computer software is updated, strengthen passwords an only shop from trustworthy websites.

But even though sales are at consumers’ fingertips, some people said they’ll continue to shop locally.

“I live in a small town, and that's what I do,” said Steve Roe, of Panora.

Americans spent more than $2 billion during last year’s Cyber Monday. The Adobe Digital Index, which tracks holiday shopping, predicts this year's Cyber Monday sales will increase by 15 percent.